B'en'jamin Thorrn
B'en'jamin Thorrn, constantly called B'en for short, is a Jedi Padawan and the male protagonist of Across the Portal: Interference. Although he was at one point Kristen's ally and close friend, he was seduced by Xerin Hedashield in the second book and began fighting for the Third Order. He was the son of Julle and Markku Thorrn. He was a fiercely loyal companion and an accomplished swordsman. In addition to being a Dark Jedi he was also the Third Order's strongest individual after Hedashield, the Order's general and champion, and one of the three principal characters in the ''Across the Portal'' series. He was the main antagonist in Across the Portal: Insurgence. Biography Early life (255 BBY-249 BBY) Born to Markku and Julle Thorrn on a Mid Rim world, the young B'en'jamin Thorrn was identified as a newborn to be Force-sensitive and sent by his parents to the Coruscant Jedi Temple for training in the ways of the Force. As Rumberus' Padawan (249 BBY-) While studying at the Temple academy, a seven year old Thorrn began to receive visions of his parents' brutal murder on his homeworld. Unaware of his heritage per Order policy, Thorrn's plight reached the ears of the Jedi investigating the murders, Jedi Master Rumberus. With the permission of the Jedi High Council, Rumberus and Chief Librarian Jocasta Nu related the facts of the murders to Thorrn in hopes that he could ease the boy's suffering, and discover clues to the murderer's identity. Rumberus' intuition proved correct in this case, leading him to uncover ties to the Hutt Grand Council in his investigation thanks to Thorrn's assistance. Following the arrests, Rumberus was so impressed with Thorrn's maturity and strength that he selected him to be his Padawan apprentice. While Thorrn seemed to show a propensity for the ability known as Telepathy, Rumberus did not have time to expand on this ability as the mysterious disappearances — the Eon-Long Exodus — plaguing the galaxy interrupted regular training within the Order. However, Master Yoda thought little of Thorrn's youthful energy and addiction to reading, and kept him in the Temple. Thorrn watched enviously as several of his peers were called into service. Continuing his studies at the academy, he was temporarily assigned to Yoda himself. Conflict of the Pearian (240 BBY) Meeting Kristen While walking just outside the walls of the Jedi Temple, Thorrn ran into a girl named Kristen, pulling him close to his destiny. When he realized she was lost, he beckoned her to follow him into the Jedi Temple. Kristen obliged, not seeing any other options presented to her. Thorrn led her to Yoda, who chided him for being late to come inside. While Kristen privately spoke to Yoda, Thorrn waited outside his master's private holding cell. When Kristen came downstairs a few minutes later, she told Thorrn that Yoda had ordered him to accompany her to find a fellow Jedi entrusted with an identifying marble. They went upstairs, boarded a landspeeder, and made for a docking bay to get offworld. A friend gave them a ride to Naboo. Hoping to find the answers he sought prior to helping her, Thorrn took them to a football game there. There, the two talked for a time. Suddenly, two Grabbers - Yaxa and Marion - ambushed them with blasters, but Thorrn easily pulled himself and Kristen out of harm's way with a well-timed Force leap. A fateful encounter As Thorrn feared that the Grabbers were part of a greater organization who wanted both of them dead, he and Kristen fled to an isolated field. While they were there, they were approached by a mysterious and extremely beautiful woman in a speeder who introduced herself as Xerin Hedashield. Thorrn, more conversational than the testy Kristen, showed her his Phrik necklace and offered to tell her all about it. Kristen, however, cut him off and asked if she had the marble identical to Master Yoda's. When Hedashield confirmed this, Thorrn climbed in at once. Kristen hesitated, during which time Hedashield flattered him making him blush, but she relented. Upon arriving, Hedashield declared she would be speaking with them both separately, bringing Thorrn upstairs first. When they entered her bedroom, Hedashield changed into her bedclothes and offered Thorrn a snack, before questioning his knowledge of the prophecy of the Chosen One who would bring balance to the Force. Hedashield also revealed that she knew how Kristen appeared in a galaxy far, far away, something she claimed he did not yet need to know. Xerin then interrogated B'en, wanting to know about the Chosen One, suspecting it was him. B'en, however, did not find this likely, though Xerin thought otherwise, she could find no backup to this claim, so she dropped the subject and they prepared to leave. B'en told her a joke about space slugs and in turn, she told him a joke about neebrays. She then escorted him to the playplace, where Kristen lay in wait. Departure from Der Erebolten Kristen then followed Hedashield upstairs, returning with the information that Xerin had told her to seek out the almighty Omnipotent One. Thorrn, who was thinking about how beautiful Hedashield was and how nice she had been, which was extremely rare in the Jedi Temple, did not know much about him. However, Kristen began to suspect that Thorrn had tender feelings for Hedashield, which he denied. Just then, Hedashield arrived and offered them the opportunity to spend the night with her. Thinking the offer was too good to be true, Thorrn followed her eagerly, and they returned to her quarters. The two generally ignored Kristen and instantly connected with each other. In the morning, they prepared to leave the planet. Thorrn, who initially thought Hedashield would ferry them again, tenderly took Hedashield's hand and implored she join them on their adventure. She refused to join them, citing she had her own place on Der Erebolten and he had his on Coruscant. They proceeded to leave. Dantooine The duo arrived on Dantooine. They reported what they had seen to Master Yoda, but he demanded for evidence before he could report the situation to the Jedi High Council. The Terrifying Triplets Leaving the Jedi Temple disheartened, an irrate Kristen suddenly and menacingly stepped in front of Thorrn and launched an infuriated tirade at him, citing that she was no closer to getting home than she had been a week ago. She claimed she could not care less what became of the galaxy with Darth Mutialatus stalking it. Thorrn managed to calm her down by assuring her that everything happened for a reason and to not believe Xerin Hedashield that her arrival in the galaxy was a complete accident, and that whatever a Pearian was, the Jedi Order clearly was in need of one. The two met Ted, Teddy, and Theo, who introduced themselves as the Terrifying Triplets. The Triplets inadvertently reminded them about the Omnipotent One by mentioning how astounding he was. Meeting the Omnipotent One Afterwards, Thorrn deduced that what lies on Dagobah fits Hedashield's description of the swamp planet. The children flew there are once, where the Omnipotent One told Kristen they would need to go to St. Pyro's Center for Militarized Sciences. As Thorrn had already figured this out, he took Kristen to Geonosis, but he felt their visit to Dagobah had been a waste of time. Skirmish on Der Erebolten Upon their arrival on Geonosis, the children were captured by Grabbers, despite Thorrn's best efforts to liberate himself and Kristen, and brought to Der Erebolten. During the skirmish, Kristen had realized that Thorrn had finally weighed the value of her life and chosen to spare it rather than fleeing back to his home. However, the duo got away from Darth Mutialatus. They were assaulted by Captain Cole's forces, who chased them throughout several chambers, but they were rescued by the unexpected intervention of the Terrifying Triplets. With his forces defeated, Cole was pinned against a wall, where he revealed Hedashield's whereabouts. After sardonically thanking him, Thorrn realized how suspicious it is that he would disclose his mistress' whereabouts without a fight nor a motive. In response, Cole revealed that he had wanted to betray the Supreme Leader, but he could not just quit, and offered his assistance. Cole led them to the sixth floor and the door of the bedroom of Xerin Hedashield, where he pretended he had brought them in as prisoners. Thorrn was horrified at what the Captain was implying. He suggested Hedashield may be a victim of mind control, but she shamelessly proved him wrong by displaying a security recording of her ordering the executions of Yaxa and Marion and confirming Thorrn's belief that they were both deceased. Darth Mutialatus appeared at that moment, however, catching Cole by surprise and stabbing his heart. Thorrn became furious when Hedashield reacted indifferently to Cole's demise, and challenged the Supreme Leader to a duel. But then he felt himself jerking into nothingness, Cole had just used his Force powers to teleport the children away from the apartment and to safety, as they had learned all they can without dying to superior forces. Conflict of the Numbers (239-238 BBY) Left on Coruscant B'en'jamin Thorrn spent the next year continuing in his training, as the Conflict of the Numbers ensued off-world. He knew Xerin Hedashield, who he still secretly "had a knack" for, was causing most of the trouble, but for said reason he never said anything. Still, he thought his life would be far more exciting if he was on the battlefield. As the months passed, he began to realize just how much he missed Kristen, and his fear that the war would end before he got a chance to fight became more and more genuine. Reunion with Kristen While he was studying, Thorrn had the strangest feeling that Kristen had somehow returned to a galaxy he called home. Deciding to sooth his anxiety by confirming that he couldn't possibly be sensing her presence, he made to the front of the Temple, where he was shocked senseless to see Kristen, at the door, exhausted and drunk, passing out in his arms. She had a horrible hangover the next day and in the afternoon, she was greeted on her bed by Thorrn. The two had a proper, albeit tearful reunion and she told him that she has been witnessing horrible visions that the Sith Lord Darth Mutialatus was at the center of. The two began bonding, but Kristen hurt him. He wanted to take revenge on her for swindling him, but knew he would never get away with it since it was not the Jedi way. Return to Der Erebolten Eventually, B'en'jamin Thorrn decided to ask Xerin Hedashield for a rank in the Third Order, as he intended to glean useful information from her. However, he was discovered by Hedashield's men as an eavesdropper and forced into their electric chair for interrogation. When Hedashield encountered Thorrn in a chamber, he pretended that he had come to request a chance to move against the Jedi simply because he hates them. Hedashield, who knew full well that he was conflicted about his feelings for her, directed him to her private quarters. Once the two were comfortably seated, with Thorrn lamenting that the place looked very familiar, they began discussing morals of the Jedi Order and the Third Order. Hedashield insisted that the Jedi are blind, and while Thorrn initially defended this, he found himself being increasingly taken by his attraction to her. She finally got him to talk about Kristen whilst pretending he brought it up because she found it an uncomfortable subject. B'en finally revealed that he wanted to take revenge on her for cheating him, and Hedashield promises to help him. This surprised him and made him wonder just how different he was from the Supreme Leader. He chose to surprise her by asking if he can fight alongside the Third Order during their upcoming siege on Coruscant. Hedashield, who saw an opportunity of her own, consented to let him tag along with her as long as he wore a ring to show his allegiance. However, as soon as the two began resting, with Thorrn lying on her couch, he began to regret sounding so disloyal to the Jedi. He also told himself they both an extremely big day ahead of them. Preparing for battle Knowing that Kristen would return to the Jedi Temple in an effort to save the Jedi Order, Hedashield ordered Darth Mutialatus to send their forces to the planet where they would end it all. She deliberately seduced Thorrn by changing into a sports bra and telling him not to look, and then told him to accompany her in her private speeder. B'en followed Xerin in the Vindicator as they rode with her army to Coruscant, where she asked Myddd if he had succeeded in killing Kristen. He said no, much to Thorrn's relief. Battle of Coruscant During the battle, Thorrn continued gleaning information from Hedashield, who commanded her army by using signal flags which tell a legion when to attack, while gently caressing her. Yoda commanded the troops to rain lasers upon the Merciless while Kreddus stayed behind with his forces until needed. Thorrn pointed out that they could not fight on two fields at once, prompting Hedashield to send the other half of her army, consisting mainly of spear men, to attack the city. Kreddus and his forces retreated to Galactic City. Hedashield's now immense army nearly took Galactic City and cornered the Jedi, but Hedashield commanded her force to halt so that her droids could come forward. Then she commanded her army to annihilate the Men of Thorrn. Suddenly, Kristen and Company burst out of the Temple and charged the troops. Phoenix and Victoria went after Hedashield but, when they reached there, Mutialatus snatched Victoria and impaled the adolescent through the torso with his lightsaber. Screaming in rage at the loss of his girlfriend, Thorrn broke off to pursue the Dark Lord, but Hedashield turned and shouted at him, having realized his double agency. He told her he had been playing her, but she coldly stated that she already figured that out for herself. Hedashield appeared to him as an amorphous entity of shadowy mist floating around. Thorrn used his Force powers to battle the torrents, but as his strength finally began to fade, she revealed herself. The weakened Padawan was captured. Joining the Third Order While it was originally believed that Thorrn had been imprisoned in the Third Order's space station under less than desirable living conditions, Thorrn in actuality learned secrets of the Dark side of the Force at Hedashield's knee. When Kristen rescued him, he baffled her by acting calm and focused and telling her that Hedashield had provided him with far more comfort than she had harm. He revealed his true nature to her and implored her to join the Third Order. However, when she taunted and threatened him, he pushed her back and she drew her lightsaber. Thorrn managed to defeat her and he imprisoned her aboard the Vindicator. Minutes later, Victoria learned that Thorrn had survived and tried to make contact with him through the Force, but Thorrn told her it was not the time to talk. The act of imprisoning his first real friend had an unsettling effect on Thorrn. Rather than make him stronger and more committed, as he had thought, it had weakened his spirit. Returning to the Dark Tower, Thorrn reported his success to Hedashield. She told him he was guiltless and that Kristen was the only traitor and beckoned him to hug her. They sat together and looked out the window, where they realized they were both remorseful, if not slightly, in regards to their recent actions, and that they both needed each other to feel safe. Standing by the Supreme Leader The Battle of Coruscant saw the devastation of the Jedi Order. In the months that followed, Thorrn spent most of his time helping Hedashield to coordinate the Third Order and continuing to receive training from her. A year after the Jedi Order was devastated in the Battle of Coruscant, the Third Order was ready to stage a coup on Coruscant, which the organization had already captured, at which point Hedashield planned to step forward and crown herself, much to Thorrn's anticipation. Both he and Hedashield agreed that they felt like their lives had improved, as Thorrn had gained even more muscle and Hedashield had gained even more weight, and they were even more attracted to each other than they were before. Later, the Transport Squad spoke with Hedashield, with Thorrn being the one to speak with them on behalf of Hedashield. He ordered the Transport Squad to extradite Kristen to Der Erebolten to reckon with the Supreme Leader, from twelve standard months of imprisonment aboard the Vindicator. Before her removal from her cell, Thorrn informed and warned the holodroid HAMEN of Kristen's extreme physical prowess. Hedashield unexpectedly appeared through a Force apparition and told the droid that she would have been more than willing to keep Kristen imprisoned in their headquarters, just as General Gore entered the room. The Vindicator took flight. However, unbeknownst to Thorrn, HAMEN had befriended Kristen, and that he had used his holographic technology to switch appearances with Kristen, which subsequently allowed Kristen to kill all the troops on the ship, including General Gore, and escape. Later, the Captain reported that Kristen had revolted. Gasping, Hedashield told the Captain to approach her, causing him to look at her with dread, until Thorrn told him to leave. Hedashield glared at Thorrn and told the Captain to seek out reinforcements. Tired of isolating herself from galactic affairs, and with victory all but assured for the Third Order, she told Thorrn she was going to see to Third Order affairs personally. Along with Mutialatus, they moved to liberate Vato. Liberation of Vato Together, they liberated Vato successfully. Skirmish on Umbara They were lured into a chokepoint where one hundred Jedi lay in wait, having come to stop the Third Order from achieving its goals at all costs. However, Thorrn then rejoined Hedashield after she had unleashed the Power of Vato and single-handedly slaughtered all one hundred of the Jedi with considerable ease, seemingly including Yoda himself. The horrified Thorrn was forced to walk and pace around the corpses of his former brethren while Hedashield began analyzing her complete and utter victory in the battle and the grim necessity of the kills, making him feel as though he had heard her say that dozens of times. Hedashield then procured the weapon. During all this utter violence, B'en'jamin Thorrn was still completely horrified and ashamed of the ruthlessness that he was standing by of, but at the same time, he was still unsure if he was right about Hedashield becoming insane with the gargantuan levels of power surging through her veins, and he wanted to keep himself safe. Thus he silently continued with Hedashield towards the ship so they could fly to Mustafar. Battle of Mustafar The Third Order had drawn Kristen into a one-on-one situation with one of their own. Following this, Thorrn accompanied Hedashield when she flew back to Mustafar to kill Kristen once and for all. After the Captain killed Victoria, Thorrn gasped in shock. Kristen charged the Supreme Leader, who blasted her against a wall. Everyone took a step forward when Kristen did not move. Unsure of what had just happened, Hedashield ordered B'en'jamin Thorrn to check Kristen's body. Having questioned if he would let what was to come transpire, Thorrn did so and falsely pronounced Kristen dead, eliciting celebration from the Third Order leaders. Thorrn fired a burst of Dark energy at Hedashield, accepting his fate but knowing he was finally doing the right thing. While Kristen dueled Darth Mutialatus, Hedashield witnessed the arrival of B'en'jamin Thorrn with several Padawans and the members of the Men of Thorrn had came to help. Suddenly, the rock exploded, forcing Mutialatus to relinquish when Kristen grabbed a rope and swung out of his sight. But even with of those reinforcements, the Third Order was still slowly overwhelming them as she encountered Kristen. Several moments later, Hedashield rose from a platform and furiously attempted to battle the entire armada on her own. However, Thorrn and Kristen worked together and, believing, telekinetically seized a mountain-sized torpedo generated to drive directly into the Jedi's primary battle craft. The two teenagers drove it right into Hedashield's body, causing a massive explosion. After Der Erebolten B'en'jamin Thorrn finally thought of a way to properly apologize to Kristen, and so he chose to surprise her by using the Dark side of the Force one last time. He created a powerful wormhole by drawing on the nexus surrounding the remains of St. Pyro's, returning Kristen to Earth. He then used the Force to sense the whereabouts of Kristen's parents. He watched as she embraced them and chose to return to a galaxy far, far away despite initially considering spending the rest of her life on the Terran homeworld. Sometime later, Thorrn married Kristen. Two years later, he was out on duty when he arrived at a small business. Thee, he recognized the propietor of the shop as General Gore. He spoke with her and was able to make her realize people don't have to be controlled to be safe from them and the peoples of the galaxy could be trusted with their freedom. Physical description B'en'jamin Thorrn was a stoic, young, handsome Human adolescent. His regular, serious face and fierce brown eyes were framed by the locks of his long dark brown hair. He was clean-shaven, well tanned, fit, muscular, slightly taller (by about one to two inches) than his friend Kristen, very strong and said to be strikingly handsome. Xerin Hedashield in particular seems to find him to be physically appealing. Thorrn wore traditional Jedi robes, though he began wearing accented black robes when he joined the Third Order. He also had a lot of bite marks on his neck that had been playfully inflicted by Hedashield. Personality and traits B'en'jamin Thorrn's personality is embodied by bookishness, a lack of stoicism, and high aims and ambitions. Thorrn is very passionate in all that he engaged himself in, especially his relationship with Kristen and his ambition to become a renowned Jedi Master and sit on the Jedi Council someday. He is very intelligent and strong-willed. He is also compassionate, as shown by his refusing to join Xerin Hedashield when first asked, in spite of his tender feelings for her. Growing up sheltered from informal social interactions, let alone romantic ones, he confessed he did not know how to explain his feelings to a woman properly, as he acted antagonistic towards Kristen and slavishly devoted to Xerin Hedashield, even if it wasn't intentional. Nevertheless, compared to the boisterous Pearian, he always seemed to be calm, peaceful and quiet. However, it was ironically his compassion and craving for knowledge and self-improvement that led him to finally give in to his romantic feelings for the Supreme Leader and join her on the Dark side of the Force. Like Kristen, Thorrn disliked the idea of taking risks. He possessed a certain degree of ruthlessness, however, he was not sadistic or egotistical. He shied away from unnecessary acts of bloodshed, as he found it impossible to kill without being haunted by thoughts of the lives he had ended, something Xerin Hedashield confessed they had in common. Perhaps because of his indomitable will, Thorrn is also quite stubborn on occasion. Whenever he made a decision, nothing could change his mind. The only one who seemed to be able to sway Thorrn's decision one way or another was Xerin Hedashield, whom he claimed understood him in a way no one else did. Unlike most people he knew, she spoke to him softly and was aware of just how alike they were. Not even Kristen was capable of changing his mind. This was shown when she told him she should continue from Dantooine alone for his own safety, and when she told him his newfound friendship with the Supreme Leader was insanity, and in both cases he refused to listen to her, convincing himself his ideas in both cases supported the greater good. Thorrn is also introverted. He stated repeatedly that he values his own life and Xerin's, more than any number of others' lives, as well as refused to sacrifice himself no matter how many innocents it would save, citing his enjoyment of life regardless of his situation. Ironically, it was his yearning to be loved, as well as appreciated, is what caused him to join the Dark side of the Force. He believed he had been the product of religious fanaticism, kidnapped from a family he should have grown up with. As such, Thorrn felt alienated and ashamed since he was a member of a religion he had never committed to, and the people he thought were his family lied to him about it all his life. Thorrn yearned for the approval of both Master Yoda and Master Rumberus, yet once his real parentage was revealed, Thorrn felt betrayed, though he initially thought there may be more to it and remained in the Order a few years longer. Furthermore, Thorrn also felt that his first real friend, Kristen, viewed him as nothing more than a powerful lapdog and an extension of her own will and did not care for him in return, despite all evidence to the contrary. Despite siding with Hedashield when she took power in the galaxy and bonding deeply with her, Thorrn eventually and slowly became conflicted and disillusioned with his decision and questioned if his hunger for power and desire to survive is worth the suffering of his kin as all he ever wanted was to be respected and not to be the sidekick of a terrorist. When faced with assisting in the slaughter of both Kristen and Victoria, he proved to have morals that overpowered his concern for himself and desire for power, while being content with the fact that he was finally doing something significant and his people would finally respect and recognize him as the hero that allowed them to survive, as seen by how he willingly sacrificed himself to allow his people to contest the Third Order, being unable to end the two girls' lives. He eventually compensated Kristen by returning her to Earth and giving her a chance to come home. The fact that he dared oppose the Supreme Leader despite his feelings for her proves Thorrn was willing to sacrifice his own interests for the greater good. Thorrn also confessed to Kristen that he enjoyed biting Hedashield and getting bitten in return, demonstrating he has a kinky side to him. Powers and abilities Powers The Force: B'en'jamin Thorrn possessed a strong connection to the Force. Kristen, a mighty being in her own right, acknowledged him as a terrifying opponent. One of the Jedi Temple's most promising students, Thorrn proved himself on several occasions during the Conflict of the Pearian. *'Telekinesis': Thorrn was also proficient in telekinesis, especially for his age. He used it offensively against Kristen on the Vindicator, displaying his quick reaction time. The imbalance caused by using the Force against his former best friend rendered him imbalanced and helped him overpower the Pearian, as he later confessed he could have never triumphed against her otherwise, despite her lack of experience. *'Force jump': B'en is able to move and jump with great speed and height. He was able to jump at least fifty feet high onto the top of a stadium, whilst bearing Kristen's weight in the process and taking her with him. *'Telepathy': B'en was gifted in the rare ability of telepathy. Dark side of the Force: After Xerin Hedashield took over his training, Thorrn became even more powerful. After the Battle of Coruscant, Thorrn gained increased strength and speed that was equal to most Jedi Masters and combined with his impressive lightsaber skills, these powers further made Thorrn into an extremely dangerous and powerful Force user, more powerful than many previous Jedi before him but (according to Hedashield) far weaker than Master Yoda or Wraith. Abilities *'Master Combatant': Before becoming a Padawan Learner, Thorrn was a powerful warrior in his own right. A lifetime of practice and study in swordplay made him a formidable fighter, surpassing even Kristen in technical skill. He notably took out a Grabber with his lightsaber with relative ease. *'Survival Skills': His experience in wilderness survival allowed him to survive by hunting and foraging when on the run from the Third Order. He could talk about hunting for hours, debating their finer points with Kristen for long periods during their journey. Relationships Kristen , his best friend turned enemy.]] B'en'jamin met Kristen while he was outside the Jedi Temple playing. He quickly learned that she arrived in a galaxy far, far away and took her inside to find help, having no idea his destiny had just been sealed. Yoda ordered him to get Kristen to the "marble holder", at which point he was free to return to the Jedi Temple. Kristen realized she would have no choice but to trust him, and he realized that he had no choice but to obey Yoda. Despite the awkward circumstances of their first interaction, B'en and Kristen almost immediately formed a connection. The two helped each other out of life-threatening situations and slowly, but surely, learned to trust each other. B'en was introduced to a spunky and innocent female peer who wondered what future awaited her on Earth. He openly relates to a desire for freedom, confessing his problems to her, and was treated with a response of genuine — though sometimes insensitively expressed — concern and care for his feelings, in spite of the fact that his personal feelings have been constantly put to the side in the favor of Jedi traditions, particularly the Jedi Code, up to that point. With their conversation having revealed common traits between the two, B'en and Kristen formed a friendship during their adventure. While he did not bother to say anything, this was his reason for staying with her after they met Xerin Hedashield, now of his own volition. He even got her to confess that she wasn't completely dismissive of bookishness in general. When they made it to St. Pyro's Center for Militarized Sciences, B'en tearfully hugged Kristen farewell, as they both had the impression it was goodbye forever. The two immediately embraced when Kristen returned to Coruscant, looking forward to spending a lot of time together. However, B'en, who was very blunt, offended her several times unintentionally. Kristen wasn't always honest with him, out of fear for his safety. These conflicting traits led to a severe misunderstanding, with B'en, unbeknownst to her, thought believing she was playing him for a fool, and rashly concluded that she had only tolerated him during the Conflict of the Pearian because she was a weakling craving protection, in any form she could come by. Kristen, unbeknownst to him, thought he had weighed her worth and considered it nonexistent. As he grew estranged from Kristen, B'en's tender feelings for her archenemy, Xerin Hedashield, deeply increased and became an infatuation. Part of his reasons for joining her was to avenge Kristen for her perceived brainwashing of him. Kristen, on the other hand, was much more understanding than he was. She was heartbroken when he joined the Third Order. While she still loved him, her morals made him unable to follow him to the Dark side. When he realized this, he imprisoned her, knowing it would please Xerin, refusing to be manipulated any longer. However, B'en found the act of caging his first real friend unsettling. Rather than make him stronger and more committed, as he had thought, it had weakened his spirit. Victoria Xerin Hedashield , his crush, best friend, and mistress]] B'en seems to have a peculiar love-hate relationship with Xerin Hedashield. B'en first met Xerin in a field when she followed them, pretending to be acting on the orders of Master Yoda. The two, along with Kristen, spent a night at Hedashield's "apartment". Thorrn developed a crush on Hedashield, who was one of the few people to voluntarily show him kindness and compassion, to the extent that she even began to call him "Mr. Handsome". In turn, Hedashield became very fond of Thorrn during this time. The two parted ways, though he later encountered Hedashield during the Skirmish on Der Erebolten, where Thorrn was horrified to learn Hedashield really was the Supreme Leader of the Third Order. While he still nursed tender feelings for her, he could no longer see them realistically becoming a couple. On the other hand, she greatly longed to turn him to the Dark side and train him. Although Thorrn only saw Hedashield twice prior to the Battle of Coruscant, the two formed a legitimate emotional connection in Kristen's absence. During said battle, Thorrn accompanied Hedashield and she tried swaying him to the Dark side to no avail. As a result, she captured him, though this turned out to be the point where Thorrn made a critical decision. He was becoming distant from Kristen and Jedi Grandmaster Yoda for two completely different reasons, and he was already in love with Xerin, thinking his encounters with her were some of the best things that ever happened to him. He was also overwhelmed by her mercy and his physical attraction to her, neither of which were there the year before. In turn, Hedashield agreed he had every right to be furious regarding his belief that the Jedi had brainwashed him and attempted to warp his destiny, causing him to yearn for her approval instead of Yoda's. Following the Battle of Coruscant, Hedashield began training him, and he in turn helped keep her robots on track. Thorrn eventually captured Kristen for her, earning her trust. The two began bonding romantically and eventually fell in love, despite being a good thirteen years apart in age. It is said that their relationship was intense and passionate. It is known that the two were sexually involved. It is also worth noting that despite having little regard for flattery, they still give each other affectionate compliments that they both take seriously betwixt them both. Perhaps a major reason they bonded together so quickly was that they had a lot in common. Both of them wanted to fix the organization they hailed from (the Jedi and the Republic), which they blamed for permanently separating them from their parents, and destroy it if it proved irreparable. In addition, both Thorrn and Hedashield progressed quickly in their educations and despite being well known for their brilliance preferred to be self-taught. Both of them were curious about the Dark side of the Force and relished the chance to begin using it. Both of them felt lonely and friendless and unable to trust anyone, apart from each other. Neither of them got along with Darth Mutialatus and tolerated him knowing they were in it together. Both of them pretended to be neutral about killing when they were actually haunted by the lives they claimed and took no pleasure in taking future lives, despite agreeing it was inevitable they would have no choice. Hedashield may have seen him as a loving and trustworthy friend who shared the same hatred for the Jedi Order as she had for the ancient religion. The only thing that differs between Thorrn and Hedashield's attitudes towards the Jedi Order is perspective; Hedashield uncharacteristically enjoyed murdering a batallion of one hundred Jedi Knights, while Thorrn did not murder any Jedi. However, there were differences between Thorrn and Hedashield. Thorrn loved Kristen all his life, which was a major reason he realized what the Third Order was destined to bring about and defected. Hedashield, on the other hand, had always considered Kristen a grave threat to her devices and wanted her dead very badly. Another difference was that while Hedashield was a sedentary woman who preferred to let others do her dirty work, Thorrn was an active adolescent who never ignored a chance to take physically demanding matters into his own hands. Darth Mutialatus B'en'jamin first heard of Darth Mutialatus when he sent two Grabbers to kill the girl he had been ordered to protect. The Sith Lord knew he would have to get rid of B'en in order to kill Kristen, and so wanted him dead very badly. Behind the scenes Regarding the love story between B'en'jamin Thorrn and Xerin Hedashield, D. Isaac Thomas says that Thorrn lost his moral compass completely after he realized what he'd become and subsequently became very mistrustful of his own judgement in those matters, leading to him and Kristen going to a lot of therapy to help their relationship work, much like Steven Thompson and Summer Petersen of the D.I.T. Literary Universe. Thomas also confirmed that they had been physically attracted to each other ever since they met, and that their relationship in the year leading up to Intuition was quite intense and passionate. Author's comments :"B'en lost his crap completely when he realized he'd been a shallow zealot. After the end of the war, he became very mistrustful of his own judgement in matters of love and ethics, leading to him and Kristen having some strain on their relationship. I'm sure with some therapy they'll be just fine, but the events of the trilogy aren't just something a teenager moves on from." :"Were they? B'en was very taken with Xerin's appearance and loved the way her belly stuck out, and to her, well, he was the cutest little bean she'd ever talked to. In the year leading up to Intuition'', they enjoyed a very intense and passionate relationship."'' Appearances *''Across the Portal: Interference'' *''Across the Portal: Insurgence'' *''Across the Portal: Intuition'' References Category:Characters Category:Males Category:Across the Portal characters Category:Jedi Category:Heroes Category:D.I.T. characters Category:Teenagers Category:Lovers Category:Reformed characters Category:Third Order characters Category:Orphans